The grey heron, a fishing wader

The grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is a very shy fishing wader. It can be observed from a distance in the marshes and along the rivers of Europe. Protected since 1975, this majestic heron is the most common heron in Europe.

Nearly one meter high and weighing 2 kilos as an adult, the grey heron is the largest heron in Europe. This wading bird can be recognized by its size but also by its ashy gray plumage (hence its name), its white neck and its black spotted breast. Its white head is underlined by black lines starting from the back of the neck and stretching to the eye. The juveniles have the same physical characteristics as the adults but are more dull.

The grey heron has a long yellow beak which is a formidable weapon for its prey. A great hunter and fisherman, the grey heron feeds mainly on the product of its fishing in the river but also on frogs, reptiles and aquatic insects and small mammals such as mice, voles, field mice or moles. This wader, which is very common in Europe, is a partial migrant. Only in very cold weather does it move temporarily.

In some mild regions where food is abundant, the grey heron is a sedentary bird. Its heavy flight is graceful but slow (40 km / hour maximum). It can be found in some European countries such as the Netherlands, Scandinavia, England, Germany, but also further south in Portugal, Northern Italy and Greece. In France, it nests mainly in the North-East and in the vast marshy areas of the West (Poitou-Charente and Vendée).

The grey heron is a shy animal which does not let itself be easily observed up close. At the arrival of an intruder, it flies away to join a quieter corner. If this bird is generally a great loner, at the time of the mating, it joins its congeners within large colonies, the heronries, perched at the top of the trees. The nesting begins early in the season from February until July. It is the male who chooses the place where the eggs will be laid. The clutch consists of 4 to 5 light blue eggs. The two parents take turns during the 25 days of incubation. The first flight of the juveniles intervenes approximately 50 days after the hatching. The emancipation of the young is fast since in 3 weeks after the fledging, they must be able to manage alone.

The gyrin, a turnstile in the pond

Lively, light, the gyrins crisscross the surface of fresh water with their metallic shine, in a dizzying ballet of speed.

The speedboat of fresh water

They move at full speed on open waters, gather peacefully in the plants and dive to escape from predators. They live between air and water. Gyrins, small beetles of aquatic environments, hold the speed record of floating insects, with their 4 back legs they propel their 12 grams, in random but precise curves, avoiding for sure any collision. These insects of a few millimeters, 6 at most, with varied dark colors, have 3 genera and many species, all of the family Gyrinidae.

A life between air and water

Floating on water, Gyrinids breathe oxygen from the air, like any terrestrial insect. Their tracheas carry gases to all their organs. But at the slightest alert, they dive under water, take refuge in the grass beds, do not move any more. Do they hold their breath, do they have a snorkel like the nephrops or the eristalus? No, just before diving, with the tip of their abdomen, they capture a bubble of air, a precious reserve that ensures them to go back up when the danger has passed. Their daily activities, such as hunting, take place on the surface.

A predator on the water mirror

Untiring, the Gyrins watch and survey their territory, a vast and totally flat area. With their antennae on the surface of the water, they pick up the vibrations of insects, spiders, shipwrecked airborne creatures, desperately struggling to escape drowning. Spotted, they are seized by the front legs, ingested by a crushing mouth apparatus. And if no aerial prey presents itself, mosquito larvae, small crustaceans, will at some point pass near the surface, within reach of the paws of a hungry Gyrin.

Eyes for water, eyes for air

Between air and water, how can the Gyrin switch so quickly from an aerial hunt to an aquatic hunt? How does it spot a predator from the depths or diving from the sky? Its adaptation is simple, obvious: its eyes are divided into two parts, one for aerial vision, the other for underwater vision. To surprise him becomes a real challenge. And to escape him too. Especially since its adaptation to swimming is also remarkable.

Swimmers and trainers

The spectacle of the Gyrins spinning, twirling, so fast that the eyes cannot follow them, announces long afternoons of contemplation at the edge of the pond. Their back legs are said to be swimming, equipped with bristles they offer a powerful support on the water, activate vigorously several tens of times per second, and propel the Gyrin at high speed. The oars at rest are folded in a special box, so the small carinated and oiled body of the beetle finishes its slide with fluidity...

Males and females, aquatic meetings

Following a terrestrial hibernation, under the stones of the banks, the couples of Gyrins are formed, the females will lay about thirty eggs on the plants. These eggs will give birth to a larva which, as with all beetles, does not look like the adult. 15 mm long, whitish, thin, it crawls on the bottom or wriggles in the water, feeding on small animals. Its breathing is aquatic, abdominal feathery tracheal gills ensure the gas exchanges of its organism. After three larval stages a terrestrial nymph is formed, the metamorphosis will give birth to the Gyrins whirling on the water.

They float, spin on the water at full speed, they dive and swim, their young breathe under water... And moreover they can fly. Their wings spread, they leave to discover new environments, with calm waters, vegetated banks, with large areas to glide without hindrance.

The dytic, a ruthless hunter in the pond

An imposing shadow rises from the depths of the pond, with a supple and quick swim. A surprisingly large, dark-shelled Carabean pierces the surface of the water for a moment, then disappears. The Dytic is back on the hunt.

picture credit: dytic.over-blog

An aquatic beetle

Large family of beetles, the Dytiscidae have many genera in Europe, all well adapted to the aquatic environment. Eggs, larvae, adults, in their cycle everything happens under water. Only the nymphs make a brief excursion on the banks. Among more than a hundred species, the bordered dytic, Dytiscus marginalis, is one of the most common and most remarkable, by the size of the adult, 3 to 4 cm, its dark carapace, with elytra with metallic reflections, bordered of golden yellow. Its larva is no less astonishing, even larger than the adult, up to 6 cm, with a characteristic look, like an inverted question mark. Adults as well as larvae are merciless predators.

An aquatic life, an aerial breathing

If Dytics spend their life underwater, they have kept their aerial breathing, from the time of their distant terrestrial ancestors. Regularly, the adults go back to the surface, let emerge the end of their abdomen, capture air which they store between elytra and abdomen. Their reserve thus made, they spin in the vegetation. The larva has not adapted to aquatic breathing any more than the adult, no gills, no exchange membrane. It undulates towards the surface, head downwards, body arched, the end of its abdomen pierces the surface of the water, a drop of air is sucked in, feeding its network of tracheas.

The water tiger

The bordered Dytique has a reputation of voracious hunter. Deserved. Tadpoles, larvae, mud worms, fish, newts, no inhabitant of the pond is spared. And if the dytics regulate the inhabitants of the pond by cleaning up the populations, consuming the weakened and sick individuals, their pullulation can lead to the disappearance of all life in the pond. The adult, lying in wait in the vegetation, springs up with speed, following a lightning chase, the prey is captured, consumed with a crushing mouth apparatus.

Its larva is even more formidable. Thin, long, it carries a flattened head, provided with arched mandibles, spread out during the stalking. The prey passes, the mandibles close again. They have an action of claws, but also of syringes, instilling by two small channels of digestive juices which will liquefy the menu. Will not remain any more but to aspire it, by the mandibles also.

Just before becoming nymph, a larva can consume up to 30 preys per day.

Swimmer, diver, air sailor

The bordered dytic is a skilled swimmer, diver. Lively, fast, it has a body cut for swimming. Oval, flattened, carinated, bevelled, it splits the waters with ease. Its back legs equipped with natatory bristles row vigorously in a beautiful set. They handicap him however for the walk, of possible exits of water see him bumping painfully on the banks. On the other hand, if it walks badly, the Dytique can fly. The dark nights a light humming rises from the pond, the Dytics spread their elytra, spread their transparent wings, and fly away towards other spaces to live.

Males and females, aquatic meetings

The couples of Dytiques meet in spring, the males impregnate the females by maintaining themselves on their backs using the suction cups of their front legs. The eggs are aquatic, the larvae are born after 2 to 3 weeks, they will go through three stages before reaching the bank to become nymphs. Buried in the sand, in less than two weeks they will metamorphose into an adult still a little pale and soft, which will immediately return to the aquatic environment with its clumsy walk, where it can live for several years.

The bordered dytic is one of the most remarkable inhabitants of the pond, inviting itself according to its nocturnal flights, leaving without warning when the preys become scarce. A dense and varied vegetation, a diversified fauna, allow to perpetuate its presence, without excess however.

The common toad, a useful batrachian for your garden

Spring is approaching, slowly but surely, and for some, it will be tomorrow, the day after tomorrow; only the temperature, humidity and light will trigger the awakening after 3 to 4 months of winter rest of the most repulsive "monster", the most popular belief and always associated with witchcraft.

But, did you know that this host of the earth, of forests, gardens, swamps, ditches, ponds, of the plain as well as the mountains, of the city (it can be found in some parks in Geneva) as well as of the countryside, is the most useful for the protection of your salads?

Come on, the author is delirious; well, no, because this "residue of a disgusting elixir extract that everyone worships..." plays a crucial role in the destruction and regulation of all kinds of invertebrates such as earthworms, slugs, caterpillars, beetles, ants, and many more, whose existence you could not imagine.

It is the largest toad: the female can reach 12 cm (even 18 cm in the south of Europe), the male reaches quietly 8 to 9 cm and is provided with strong forearms whose three internal fingers are provided with rough and blackish pads named "callosities", in period of reproduction only. One can also recognize this one by seizing it, it will then emit some croaking while the female will remain mute.

35 years of existence, not without risk!

The life span of our "salad protector" can exceed 35 years unless, by mistake, it ventures to swallow a poisoned slug, hence the importance of using natural methods (saucers filled with beer) to eliminate gastropods if the damage done to the vegetable garden is major.

The natural predators of the common toad are mainly the garter snake, the hedgehog and certain birds such as the crow. Another factor that shortens the life of this amphibian is the high mortality during spring migration on our country roads crossing their territories. Indeed, as soon as the weather conditions become favorable for awakening and reproduction, thousands of toads move to their egg-laying site, which corresponds to their birthplace in general: they must then often cross busy roads. Hundreds of them will perish under the wheels of unconcerned motorists or even those who cannot do otherwise because there are so many of them. Remember, the road is not only slippery when it rains, it is doubly dangerous when it rains and when the amphibians are present.

Fortunately, there are now amphibian migration "tunnels" that are placed under the roadways that cross important migration routes, but there are still too few...

The reproduction of toads

After these asphalt considerations, let's get back to our toad. The males are so eager to find a mate that they can cling to a female for up to ten times, and she may drown under the burden. Females can sometimes be seen dead from disembowelment due to the power of the forearms of the first male clamped who was clutching harder and harder while other suitors were clutching in turn.

About reproduction, let us point out that the female is able to lay about 8000 eggs arranged in double gelatinous cords hung on aquatic plants. The tadpoles, which live in a gregarious way, are easily recognized by their modest size (3cm) and their black color; they gather in bands near the surface and at the edge of water points where the temperature is higher. Most of them will perish from predator attacks (aquatic insect larvae, newts, fish), or from unfavorable conditions (pollution, drying up) and only 1% of them will produce an adult capable of giving offspring. The obstacle course is particularly selective for all toads and frogs.

The "toad rains" as they were called in the past are due to the massive emergence of young after heavy rains. These, as soon as the metamorphosis takes place, which generally takes place at the end of June, take refuge in small crevices of the ground or under stones and plant debris. They will then lead all their life a terrestrial existence (except for the laying of eggs), crepuscular and nocturnal. The toad is a homebody, seems to know its hunting territory very well and always returns to the same refuge, year after year.

Reminder

The handling of the animal is not dangerous for humans. On the other hand, all amphibians and reptiles are strictly protected, as well as their biotopes. The taking of specimens in the wild is forbidden.

The salamander, a nocturnal amphibian

Legendary animal, symbol of passion, emblem of François 1er, the salamander has the reputation of being able to live in the middle of flames. But who is really this small amphibian?

The salamander, a discreet animal

Salamandra salamandra, more commonly known as 'Spotted Salamander' is an amphibian of 12 to 25 cm length living in humid forest environments. It is quite common in all deciduous and coniferous forests of medium altitude on the whole territory including Corsica. Easily recognizable by its shiny black body spotted with yellow, the salamander has webbed feet and a well-structured tail. Its big black eyes are arranged on both sides of its snout all in roundness. This rather terrestrial amphibian frequents streams and springs but does not live directly in water. Nocturnal, the salamander hides during the day under rocks, stumps, and can even invest the burrow of a rodent.

Carnivorous, it feeds on worms, small mollusks and insects.

In winter, salamanders enter into diapause and live in slow motion under the shelter of a stump or in a rock crevice until spring, when they will come out and frequent wetlands in order to reproduce. Ovoviviparous, the female deposits her larvae directly in a spring, a fountain or a small stream. The water must be well oxygenated and therefore in motion. Provided with external feathery gills, the larvae have the capacity to swim as soon as they are expelled and to devour mud worms, larvae of all kinds and even their fellow creatures! After 5 months of this diet, and a metamorphosis later, they will be transformed into salamanders and will be able to leave the water to begin their terrestrial life. The sexual maturity will be reached at the age of 4 years, but if the salamander escapes its predators (snakes, wild boars, hedgehogs, raptors...) it will be able to live more than 20 years.

The different species of salamanders

The spotted salamander (Salamandra salamandra) which we mentioned above is the most common and can be found in the whole country if the ecosystem is suitable. It can be recognized by its shiny black body with yellow/orange spots and its relatively large size compared to other species.

The Lanza's salamander (Salamandra lanzai) is very rare and exclusively represented in the High Alps between 1600 and 2200 m of altitude. It likes humid alpine grasslands and moves early in the morning. Its body is all black, shiny and does not exceed 15 cm in length. This salamander has an IUCN conservation status as it is considered a vulnerable species.

The black salamander (Salamandra atra) is less attached to the wetland than the other species. From 9 to 12 cm for the male and a maximum of 15 cm for the female, this salamander has a shiny black body marked by circular costal grooves. It is found only in the Alps. A subspecies Salamandra atra aurorae, dotted with large cream-colored spots lives in the southern Italian Alps.

The Corsican salamander (Salamandra corsica) is endemic to this island where it can be found up to 1800m altitude. It looks like the spotted salamander with its shiny black body dotted with yellow/orange spots. This protected species is listed in Annex III of the Bern Convention, Annex IV of the Habitat Directive and classified as a "species to watch" in the red list of amphibians and reptiles.

The spotted salamander, a dragon in the undergrowth

Legendary, known to all, the spotted salamander is found on rare occasions. On rainy evenings they come out, sometimes by the dozen, on the paths, at the edge of the fountains, in the garden. Then they return to their underground life, secret. Let's go and discover the unusual world of the Salamanders.

A miniature dragon in the undergrowth?

Its body of about fifteen centimeters rests on four short legs, and is extended by a round, tapered tail. Its colors, a shiny black dotted with yellow, allow to recognize it unequivocally. Its head has two large black eyes adapted to night and twilight vision, followed by two protuberances, the typical parotoid glands. Its appearance is almost reptilian, yet the Spotted Salamander, Salamandra salamandra, belongs to the class of Amphibians, vertebrates leading a double life, terrestrial for the adults, aquatic for the young. Alongside the Tritons, with a flat tail, it joins the order of the Urodeles, while Frogs and Toads are classified in the Anurans.

An adult life far from water

Surprisingly, for Amphibians, Salamanders spend their adult life far from the aquatic environment, but like humidity. They hibernate during the coldest months, under stones, old stumps, borrowing old rodent burrows. They rest during the summer heat, seeking coolness in their underground caches. They hunt at dusk, at night, snails, insects, earthworms, millipedes, spiders, caterpillars, sowbugs... Prey of all sizes, held in their powerful jaws before being swallowed.

And in their life cycle, even the mating season remains terrestrial.

Males and females, terrestrial meetings

As soon as they come out of hibernation, at the beginning of March, until September, the mating season will take place, entirely terrestrial. Preferring the month of July, the males from the age of 2, 3 years look for a female. They establish contact, with their head resting on her back. If the moment is favourable, the male slides under his partner, lifts her up slightly and holds her by a grip between her front legs. Fertilization is internal. Then follows for the female a long gestation, of several months. Eight in total. At the end of which she will finally return to the aquatic environment, so that her young develop there.

Small Salamanders long protected

The long gestation of the Salamander allows it to protect its eggs and to give birth to larvae already formed. After a migration towards a brook, a pond, a fountain, an active cave, it immerses itself partially... And releases about twenty larvae of 2 to 3 cm long; the most robust will go up to 60... Sharing the same habitat, Red Frogs, Common Toads, Alpine Tritons, have not adopted the same reproductive strategy, and to compensate for predation lay hundreds, thousands of eggs. In the case of the Salamander, the larvae are autonomous from birth.

Perennial larvae

Lively, the small larvae spin on their four legs, undulating with their long flat tail. They can be noticed by their finely branched external gills, the clear spot marking the base of their legs. Discreet, rather grayish, they hide in crevices, under stones, between roots, trying to dodge formidable predators, carnivorous insects, birds, aquatic shrews, trouts in deeper waters... And larvae of Salamanders bigger than them. Carnivorous, they hunt mosquito larvae, mayflies, gammarids, and become cannibals if needed. After 4 months of this diet, and several moults, the young Salamanders leave the water, for a long terrestrial life of several decades.

A long, long life

The longevity of Salamanders is exceptional, 30 years in the wild, up to 50 in captivity. Their absence of predators is one of the causes. Some have taken the risk, but they will not forget its yellow and black colors. Nor its toxic venom, secreted by the parotoid glands and the verrucous protuberances arranged in a line all along its body. This venom, dangerous alkaloid, is a neurotoxic aggressive for the mucous membranes, mouth and eyes. On the epidermis, the human skin, it can create irritations. For Salamanders, the protection is long-lasting, especially since it is completed with an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial action.

Many subspecies

If the spotted salamanders are distributed throughout Europe, we can not find 2 similar, their coloring varies considerably and is specific to each individual.

On the other hand, depending on the habitat, one can recognize about ten subspecies.

• Salamandra salamandra terrestris, widespread in France, has two parallel bands of yellow spots, sometimes in a continuous line;
• Salamandra salamandra salamandra, from the Alps, Carpathians, Balkans, has small spots;
• Salamandra salamandra fastuosa lives in the central Pyrenees, Cantabrian Mountains, with her the yellow predominates, in long and wide lines;
• Salamandra salamandra bechkovi will meet in Bulgaria;
• Salamandra salamandra crespoi, bejarae and almanzoris will be distributed in Spain. Among all these subspecies some have had to adapt to difficult climatic conditions.

The subspecies of Spain

Faced with heat and drought, the Salamanders of southern Europe no longer hibernate in winter, but in summer, burying themselves in cool, damp hiding places in the hottest months. Their adaptation also involves protecting their young.

The subspecies Salamandra salamandra bernardezi, in the North-West of Spain, will give birth to young Salamanders already formed, equipped with lungs, about twenty on average.

In Portugal and North-Western Spain, Salamandra salamandra gallaica, can return to the water to deposit its larvae, but also prolong its gestation, waiting for the larvae to finish their development internally, protecting them and freeing itself from the constraints of the aquatic environment.

Mountain species

The Spotted Salamander also has some European cousins adapted not to the heat, but to the cold. The Black Salamander, Salamandra atra, lives in the mountains of the Alps. Black, rarely spotted with yellow, thin, not very big, it lives in beech forests, seeks clearings and edges. It will be found in alpine meadows if scree slopes, hiding places, allow it to protect itself during the day and to hibernate in winter. Up in the mountains the good season is short, the Black Salamander has opted for maximum protection of its young. She will keep them inside her throughout their development, from the egg to the young Salamander. The gestation can last 2 to 3 years depending on the altitude, then only 2 young Salamanders will be born, already big, 4 to 5 cm, autonomous and resistant.

Human legends

Fascinating, mysterious, the Salamander is at the heart of many legends. It has a strange relationship with fire, able to cross it, to be reborn in it, even to extinguish it. Where does she get her magical powers? From its invincibility, from its venom, linked to its black and gold colors? From its habitat, when it emerges from under the stones of a fireplace, from a half-burned log? Or its appearance, closer to a dragon than a frog? And its ability to regenerate certain parts of its body, its exceptional longevity, do they also contribute to give it a special place in our imagination?

The Spotted Salamander and its numerous subspecies are widespread. They have adapted to a variety of habitats, even coming close to human dwellings offering suitable conditions.